Mullardoch South: eight Munros and a lot of cloud

[alexdw]

In the middle of a holiday at a large and comfortable AirBnB, and having tackled the four Munros on the north side of Loch Mullardoch two days previously, it was now time to turn our attention to the eight Munros on the south. The most logical route would probably have been to take a boat from the dam to the west end of the loch and start up Mullach na Dheiragain, but with Angus not operating his ferry service this season we had to devise an alternative plan. In the end, we opted for a 2-day trip, approaching from Glen Affric, setting up camp, climbing the western three Munros on day 1 and then walking back to the Mullardoch dam over the eastern five the next day. This promised a long walk with a mixed forecast, and perhaps unsurprisingly, not everyone was desperately keen to abandon the luxury of the holiday accommodation for a potentially soggy wildcamp, so it was a small but select group of four that set out in the car at 8am on Wednesday morning. My boots were still rather damp from the loch-side trudge two days before.

We parked in Glen Affric at about 8.45 and set out on the Affric Kintail Way along the south side of Loch Affric, which I suspect was easier going than the path along the north side. Affric is a beautiful glen, and though little of the ancient forest now remains (an exception being the 'Last Ent of Affric' in Gleann na Ciche), it was a lovely place to be warming up in the morning sun for the expedition ahead. We passed the remote bothy at Athnamulloch - owned by Trees for Life and available for (paid) prior booking - and then crossed the river to reach Strawberry Cottage, which I believe is a bunkhouse owned by the An Teallach Mountaineering Club. Here, the first round of rain arrived and we duly donned waterproofs before shouldering our packs and heading on west.

Starting off from the car park between Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin

Loch Affric and the flanks of Mam Sodhail

Ed C strolling towards Athnamulloch, Strawberry Cottage behind

After a couple of kilometres we started the plod up the path into Coire Ghaidheil, keeping an eye out for a campsite. The coire was very wet, so in the end we decided to continue up to the bealach, judging that wind there was preferable to camping in a swamp. We pulled up onto Bealach Coire Ghaidheil and pitched our tents just as the clouds rolled in to cover the tops where, unfortunately, they would stay for the rest of the day. David had brought a top-of-the-range new Big Agnes tent, which proved something of a challenge on its first pitching, so Stefan provided technical assistance while I gallantly sat in my own tent eating trail mix and taking photos of the operation.

Climbing into Coire Ghaidheil, cloud briefly breaking to show An Socach

Stefan and David wrestling with Big Agnes

Camp successfully pitched

It was now about 1pm. We had left London a few days before in a 30 degree heatwave, but it must have been single figures on Bealach Coire Ghaidheil, so we layered up, emptied our rucksacks of camping gear, and headed up west into the clag on the slopes of An Socach (not to be confused with the An Socach on the other side of Loch Mullardoch). After half an hour or so we were there, and then it was on over the long ridge to Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan, over several smaller peaks. Judging by other accounts, Ceathramhnan is a wonderful, remote mountain and a fantastic viewpoint, but unfortunately much of its grandeur was robbed by the mists. I would love to return in better weather - perhaps during a stay at the Alltbeithe youth hostel. We eventually reached the summit, with the outline of an interesting ridge heading west just visible, but it was decidedly chilly on the top so we quickly began the descent northeast to Mullach na Dheiragain.

Ed C, me and David on An Socach

David descending from somewhere near the top of Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan

There were occasional breaks in the cloud on the way to Mullach na Dheiragain, giving glimpses of the rough corries below us and the ridge out ahead, but it still felt like a long way out to the summit, particularly as we knew we'd be returning the same way. On the summit, there was a brief moment of sunshine before the rain returned and we beat a hasty retreat back along the ridge.

Looking northeast from high on Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan

Ed and Stefan descending Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan

Me looking out towards Mullach na Dheiragain

Sun on (I think) Mullach na Dheiragain summit...

...but the clag soon returned (Mullach na Dheiragain summit)

David, Ed C and I returning over Corn na Con Dhu towards Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan

We wanted to avoid the 300m of reascent over Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan, so from the Bealach nan Daoine we headed down into a boggy Coire nan Dearcag and then picked up a reasonable path coutouring underneath Stob Coire na Cloiche, emerging at the 798m bealach to its east. This still left a reascent of An Socach, but the alternative traverse over very rough ground to the north had looked singularly unappealing. Returning over the summit, we met a man from the British Antarctic Survey on a solo camping expedition who told us he had been driven off Mam Sodhail by the weather. After exchanging pleasantries, we picked our way back down to the camp, cooked a hasty dinner and dived into our tents.

Looking down to the tents in Bealach Coire Ghaidheil

I set an alarm for 6am with the best of intentions, but in the end it was almost 8am when I emerged from the tent the next morning. Ed C, the team's ultramarathon runner, had, as three days previously, reached his limit for trudging, so set off over the hills at a run (he would make it back to the Mullardoch dam, via the five Munros, in exactly half the time it took us). Stefan, David and I packed up the rest of the camp, then set out towards Mam Sodhail, yesterday's cloud still stubbornly cloaking its slopes. Still, we all felt in reasonable shape for the day ahead, and reached Mam Sodhail's after an hour and a half, climbing inside the huge pile of stones that serves as triangulation point and shelter.

Morning at camp

David and Stefan inside the summit cairn/shelter on Mam Sodhail

Like Mullach na Dheiragain, Beinn Fhionnlaidh requires an 'out and back' journey, so we traversed below Carn Eighe, leaving our bags somewhere on its north ridge, then continued north. The cloud was showing signs of breaking, but never quite in the places we happened to be, and the summit of Beinn Fhionnlaidh was duly grey when we reached it. We retraced our steps to the bags, then plodded on up to the top of Carn Eighe, the highest point north of the Great Glen at 1183m.

Summit of Beinn Fhionnlaidh

David and Stefan heading back towards Carn Eighe from Beinn Fhionnlaidh

I have absolutely no knowledge of the microclimates around Glen Affric, but I suspect that Carn Eighe may have a rain shadow effect on the land to its east, and as we descended its long east ridge, we finally began to feel the sunshine. Initially broad, the ridge becomes a series of pinnacles after Stob a' Choire Dhomhain; these looked a simple Grade 1, but with the slippery rock and our big bags we skirted the first of them with embarrassed cowardice. Stefan did have an exploratory scramble, then decided discretion was the better part of valour, throwing his bag down to make the descent easier; rather unwisely, I tried to catch it and ended up impaling my hand on a trekking pole! Thankfully, the damage was superficial. After the pinnacles, the ridge continues pleasantly to the Top of Sron Garbh. The clouds were receding and some very grand scenery was opening up behind us on the Carn Eighe massif.

Heading along the ridge from Carn Eighe to Sron Garbh

Tom a' Choinich from Sron Garbh

After a steep but well pathed descent from Sron Garbh, we pushed on over an easy ridge with several small peaks to Tom a' Choinich, the views on all sides now bathed in afternoon sunshine. We could see the grassy plateau of Toll Creagach ahead, and after a pause for some motivational Chewits, we set off for one final descent and reascent. This section of the walk was easy going, if a bit dull, which was a relief to our battered knees, and a little over an hour later we arrived on the final summit of the expedition, Toll Creagach.

Me on the knee-bashing descent from Sron Garbh

Looking back towards the east of the Carn Eighe massif from the west ridge of Tom a' Choinich

Looking south towards Sgurr na Lapaich

Climbing over the ridge to Tom a' Choinich

Loch Mullardoch from the slopes of Toll Creagach

The long trudge up Toll Creagach

Summit of Toll Creagach

All that remained was the descent to the Mullardoch dam. We set off east at about 4.30, and with David declaring his intention for "a G&T in the hand by 6.15", we made good progress down to the bealach, then across some rougher ground in Fraoch-choire, and finally through the woodland below the corrie; three days previously this had been buzzing with clegs, but thankfully there was no sign of them now. From the dam, we covered the final kilometre of tarmac - always a bit of a shock after two days in the wilderness - arriving back at our B&B just in time for David's gin to be consumed on schedule. It had a been a tough but rewarding couple of days in the hills.

Rainbow in Fraoch-choire, Loch Mullardoch below

The final part of the descent through Fraoch-choire

Finished! David, me and Stefan glad to be back after hauling ourselves over 8 Munros. Ed C had been back for 5 hours and was preparing dinner...

Mullardoch south loop 3-4.8.22.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

Postscript: Ed C left the Highlands the next day to compete in a 100-mile race!

[Chris Henshall]

Finally made time to read this; a good trip.
Your photo entitled "Looking northeast from high on Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan" sums up pretty much everything I enjoy about being out in these hills - fleeting views, rugged terrain and, especially in the direction the camera is pointed, a very long way to anywhere! You're also right about going back to Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan; its northern ridges and corries would repay some exploration and a high camp in good weather.